


As It Was

by AntonSweetie



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, i am suffering, the dlc murdered my soul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 03:10:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18274583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntonSweetie/pseuds/AntonSweetie
Summary: For all the battles he won and all the challenges he overcame, wounds of the soul never healed. [Title based on Hozier's song; takes place post-DLC]





	As It Was

Everything ached. Pain he knew well. But ache? Ache was a duller pain and not one that could be cured with a long rest or a good meal. Ache lingered long after everything else had gone. It persisted despite his best efforts and he was beginning to wonder if it would ever go away.

Link leaned against his windowsill, arms resting on the wood while his legs were neatly tucked on top of his sheets. His clear blue eyes followed the rolling clouds above Hateno Village, lazily drifting across a matching blue sky. The storm last night kept him awake, but it was as if there was no such thing this morning. His lips quirked into a smile as he heard children giggling around Epona’s stable. For all the trouble Link put her through, she was a good mare. Wild at first, like him, but after several long and arduous journeys together, she seemed to begin to care for her silent Hylian. Even going so far as to not complain when children pet her too hard. 

Even for all her companionship, the ache remained. Link’s hand clutched at the soft blue fabric of his sleep shirt, the white lobster pattern bunching up with the tense motion. He could feel where the ache was just like he could feel a broken bone or a bleeding gash. Those he could fix in no time but there was nothing he could do about this. 

For a horrible, terrible second, he wondered if it was his destiny to die with this ache. 

No, of course not, he reassured himself, Hylia would never let her chosen champion die like that. Or… would she?

The more Link contemplated his doubts, the more the ache grew. The thoughts swirled around him like the Malice during a Blood Moon. They crept and crept and gathered around his body until he was dizzy and out of breath. The ache grew louder with each shaky breath he drew until he could no longer feel anything except the dull, beating thud of the cursed ache. It pounding and pounded against his veins as though he was stumbling through the last of his energy sprinting away for dear life from the first Lynel he ever encountered. The chosen hero curled in on himself in his bed, one hand grasping at the windowsill in a pale mockery of real comfort while the other threatened to rip his heart out of his chest. 

Maybe that would stop the ache. 

As his fingernails dug into his shirt, four gentle hands placed themselves on his heart. 

“C’mon, brother! You’re tougher ‘n this! Hang in there!”  
“Really, is this the best you have to offer? I know you can do better.”  
“This storm will pass, as all things do. Just hold on a little bit longer.”  
“I believe in you. You will overcome every obstacle in your way. Believe in yourself too.”

Their words echoed in his mind like a prayer, each syllable reminding him that of course he was going to be alright. This ache was strong, but he wasn’t going to let it consume him. Link forced himself to focus outside of his body and on the world he so dearly came to love outside: the children laughing, Bolson and Karson’s quiet conversation, the chirp of songbirds as they called to their mates, the rustle of the verdant leaves in the breeze. The stronger he focused, the more the ache retreated back to his heart. It didn’t fully disappear, but he could manage it better now. 

His eyes flicked to the photograph hanging next to the open window. Everyone’s expressions still made him smile, just the faintest amount. Daruk’s impossibly wide grin as he pulled everyone in together. Urbosa’s quiet smile of resignation. Revali’s usual smirk replaced for pure shock as Daruk shoved him closer. Mipha’s sweet blush as she stumbled into frame. Zelda’s gentle gasp frozen in time. His own, usually impassive face, showing genuine surprise. 

The ache beat stronger for a moment, but it wasn’t the Malice-tinged ache. His fingers, calloused and scarred from countless battles, were careful as he mapped out the ridges on the picture frame. He didn’t dare touch the photograph, but he wanted to touch them. He wanted to see them all again. He wanted to ask if he was even allowed to have this - to have a home he could return to when they couldn’t even return to their families and say goodbye. 

He ached, and he realized why it never stopped.

He was truly, honestly alone in this world and would be until his dying breath.


End file.
